$3m investment bordering on tokenism

Northland will take 20 per cent of the overall investment in countering drug problems, which says much about the scale of the situation here. Photo: File

There is a delicious irony in taking money off criminals and investing it back into our communities.

Although, is it irony or justice given the money was ours to start with before it was gained by ill-gotten methods.

The Government has announced that $15 million seized from criminals will be invested in anti-drug initiatives.

Of the $15m, Northland gets $3m.

The fact that our region will take 20 per cent of the overall investment says much about the scale of the problem here. We should be grateful for the money.

We should be disappointed the methamphetamine or P problem in New Zealand has come to this.

The money is for a joint health and police project. It is very early days, and no one can say exactly what form the project will take.

Hopefully it will be something that contributes to eliminating the cause, rather than just mopping up the "effect".

Since 2009, police have "restrained" about $393m in cash and assets with about $138m forfeited.

Including the $15m announced yesterday, $31m has gone back into tackling drugs.

It is a drop in a very large "ocean" that is infested with gangs who have created a high profit business model with no morals, conscience or accountability that comes with traditional, mainstream business.

Northlanders not only don't want to have to deal with the consequences of gangs and P, they want to be able to do their shopping in the local supermarket without looking at a gang patch, or drive through a roundabout and not be intimidated by a stream of bikers taking over the road.

Without wanting to sound ungrateful, $3m toward Northland's P epidemic is bordering on tokenism, should we be grateful for the money.

Or is it a "do something" gesture "lest we be seen to be doing nothing''.

Here's hoping that the $3m is a down payment on a large scale investment in our region, and not indicative of how much people think a solution to the problem is worth.